Limited atonement is the idea that Christ’s sacrifice was only intended for the elect chosen by God. This argues that Christ died to save people, not make them saveable. Oftentimes verses such as Ephesians 1:4 are referenced. “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love” This verse talks about how we were chosen before the world was even made. And verses like Matthew 1:21 “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” seem to imply that Christ only came to save His people, not everyone.
The argument against limited atonement is called universal atonement. Universal atonement is not the belief that everyone will be saved and go to Heaven. It’s the belief that Christ’s sacrifice gives everyone the opportunity to be saved, and it’s up to each person whether they want to accept Him or not.
Even with all the verses supporting limited atonement, there are equally as many to support universal atonement. Take John 3:16 for example: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The word used for “the world” is the Greek word “Kosmos”, which includes all inhabitants of the world. Verses that support this argument also include John 1:29; Romans 11:32; and 1John 2:2.
I would also like to offer the fact that we see universal atonement hinted at in the Old Testament. Let’s look at the passover, an event that is very widely accepted as hinting to Christ in the New Testament. Each Israelite family had the opportunity to kill a lamb and put its blood on their door to save their first born from the last plague. The lamb that was slaughtered was a representation of Jesus Christ when He died to save us. Passover is clearly a reference to Christ’s sacrifice. The Israelites had to exercise faith in killing the lamb and trusting God to save them. During the passover though, if someone chose not to put the blood of the lamb on their door their first born would die. We also see a similar instance in Numbers 21:5-9, the story of the bronze snake. If anyone did not look at the bronze snake after being bitten would die. Jesus directly compares Himself to the bronze snake in John 3:14. “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up”